Intervention
There is a pop as you are teleported from the maw of hell in Grey to the ruined remains of Reveran . Those of you who where unable to assist in the closing of the breach exit the one remaining hut in the tiny Thorpe and approach the rest of the group. Some of you are injured, all of you exhausted and one of you even made the ultimate sacrifice the enormous and seemingly invincible Goliath has fallen. His broken body rests at your feet. It’s been an arduous and costly undertaking but you’ve saved Grey from destruction. The sky a magnificent collage of oranges, blues and reds as the Sun begins to touch the horizon. You wearily gather yourselves up and turn for what remains of your home. You’re movement is stopped suddenly by a jarringly strong shaking of the earth below your feet. An after shock perhaps? The quake grows so strong that you are having difficulty even standing (Acrobatics: DC 30). A loud crack rips across the land, like a bolt of lightning splitting a tree, only infinitely louder. Everyone ducks, their ears ringing. In the distance you see the impossible happen. The city of Grey isn’t just shaking, it’s sinking! Massive cracks in the earth tear open as the entire city of Grey and its surrounding area swiftly drops. You faintly hear the sound of many voices screaming. You watch in horror as, water from the ocean pours, into the enormous hole, never seeming to fill. The City of Thieves is no more. The shaking ground, instead of subsiding, increases in its intensity (Acrobatics: DC40). The horizon turns blood red as what appears to be smoke and flames rise from the gigantic rip in the ground. Shadowy figures fly up into the twilight sky, an endless army of what at this distance appear to be bats, but you know deep down inside that these creatures are not bats. There is little you can do as the world is flooded by Daemons. Amidst the pillar of black and red light flickering up from the abyss you see a tiny point of light. Slowly the point of light grows in size, no, it’s not growing in size, it’s coming towards you! Transfixed on the light you watch it approach. It must be moving quickly if it originated within the midst of what was once Grey, for soon you can see that the light is humanoid in shape. A strong blast of wind buffets you as the figure abruptly stops no less than 20 feet in front of you. The being is garbed in strange attire, a suit made of an odd shiny material, the closest thing you can think of would be satin. Over the suit is a long jacket with a hood made of the same black material. Bare hands, feet and face reveal the being to be made of a bright white light. You can make out no discernable features. "ENOUGH - ENOUGH - ENOUGH - ENOUGH!" The being roars, his voice sounding like many voices echoing about you, both far and near. You cower, confused as to what you may have done to anger this stranger. "IT - IT MUST - IT MUST BE -IT MUST BE DONE - IT MUST BE DONE - MUST BE DONE - BE DONE - DONE" is the surprising reply. You spin around looking for the source, only to find another figure behind you, floating some twenty feet in the air. It too is garbed in a strange suit of shiny fabric, complete with hooded coat. This one however is wearing white and the being itself comprised of what appears to be a pure black light (which is something difficult for your eyes to focus upon). The swirling black mess of clouds above you is brushed aside and a blinding light shines down, piercing your very souls. Dozens of coloured lights descend from the sky swiftly, landing near you. They expand and grow, taking shape all around you. Within moments you are surrounded by many figures. Some appear handsome and noble, others twisted and wicked. You've seen them before... Many times... In paintings, tapestries, books and symbols.. Abadar, Asmodeus, Calistria, Cayden Cailean, Desna, Erastil, Gorum, Gozreh, Iomedae, Irori, Lamashtu, Nethys, Norgober, Pharasma, Rovagug, Sarenrae, Shelyn, Torag, Urgathoa, Zon-Kuthon and many others. Around you are the Gods of this world. The immense amount of raw power in the area is overwhelming. It's as if the air pressure around you is crushing you. (Fort Save DC 30. Failure results in the character bleeding from their eyes, mouth and ears. Failure by 10 or more also result in the character collapsing to the ground but still concious). One steps forward, attractive, with dark hair and a golden breastplate. At his belt a number of golden keys jingle. Abadar, Master of the First Vault. Guardian, protector and one of the oldest known Gods. "You're very existence is an abomination that.." snaps Abadar, interrupted by the figure in the black suit before you "WE - WE DO - WE DO NOT - WE DO NOT EXIST - WE DO NOT EXIST - DO NOT EXIST - NOT EXIST - EXIST". Confusion crosses the face of Abadar "But how then..." "THE STORY - THE STORY OF - THE STORY OF THIS WORLD - THE STORY OF THIS WORLD HAS COME TO AN END - COME TO AN END - AN END" claims the figure in white, clenching it's black fist. "NO!" shouts Abadar, a Golden Crossbow appearing in his hands. He fires, the divine bolt wrapped in holy magics. A direct shot, that passes through the white-suited figure, appearing to do nothing. In retaliation the figure of black light opens it's clenched fist and a sonic bubble visibly erupts from it, rippling and distorting reality as it expands. An extremely low and rumbling boom accompanies the bubble and flattens everything and everyone for 100 feet. Except for the figure in black. Using the opportunity it moves in faster than your eye can track and strikes the figure in white with an open palm to the chest. The pair remain seemingly frozen for a time before the figure in white begins to disintergrate, like ash in a fire. Small pieces of him float up and vanish until nothing remains. The God's slowly pick themselves up, terror plain upon their faces. The figure in black returns to a neutral stance and turns to face the Deities of your world. "Wh-What ARE you?" asks Calistria, her body and voice both shaken. "I - I AM - I AM NOTHING - AM NOTHING - NOTHING." "I - I AM - I AM EVERYTHING - AM EVERYTHING - EVERYTHING." With this the figure in black, turns towards Grey and the fountain of Hell it has become. He raises his right arm and holds his hand out. The earth shakes violently once again. The cracks in the land close and unbelievably in the distance you see Grey rise up from below, broken and burning. Winged Daemons fall from the sky and the ocean is pushed back. Buildings mend and the dead are restored to life. The chasm in Reveran is sealed shut. The tavern and houses restored to their original condition. The fallen return, the Goliath opens his eyes. "THIS - THIS STORY IS - THIS STORY IS NOT - THIS STORY IS NOT YET OVER - IS NOT YET OVER - YET OVER - OVER" The figure lowers it's arm. The Gods, scared, confused and unable to understand back away and then almost as one re-ascend to the heavens and the now calm night sky. The figure of white light raises it's head, as if it where looking behind you. You turn and see the people of Reveran appearing from the doorway of the hut that was once the only one standing. Nervously they peer at the strange figure, who white light stands out so boldly in the darkness of night. The figure turns it's attention back to you. "YOUR - YOUR STORY IS - YOUR STORY IS NOT - YOUR STORY IS NOT OVER - IS NOT YET OVER - YET OVER - OVER" The white light of the being intensifies, you avert your eyes as it becomes near bright as the Sun. There is a loud pop and the light is gone, along with the mysterious figure. Confused, terrified, shocked, stunned, exhausted and glad to be alive you stay where you are for a time, lying on the grass by the road. Eventually you pick yourselves up, without saying a word and enter The Gauntlet. Category:Quests